I find that the end of the year is always a kind of odd time. We’ve come through a marathon of holidays, both secular and religious and, as we’re still reveling/recovering, we flip the calendar page to begin again. Somehow there’s this feeling of catching our breath while gathering steam for what is ahead. We notice we’re standing on the threshold and then, all of a sudden, we’re through to the other side, ready or not!

As a full time pastor, the church office was often closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This week-long span became a time for me to slow down, hang out with family and friends, and catch up on things around the house. And over the past decade or so, it’s also become a time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new year.

It’s time I’ve come to cherish, even if it occasionally feels like one more thing to get done. The trick for making this a time that feels rejuvenating has been to set myself up to enjoy it. I put on comfy clothes, make some coffee or tea, light a candle, tune in to some relaxing music, and gather my favorite journals and brightly colored pens (my personal theory: if the pens aren’t colorful, is there really any joy possible?!).

Generally, I begin with a prayer for the Holy Spirit to be present and to guide me through the process of looking at and reflecting on the year I’m saying farewell to – to give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart willing to receive what I need to notice. I pray for openness, to be courageous as I step into what is new, and to trust that I will be given what I need for what lies ahead.

And then I enter into the process of looking back and planning for the future. What has come before informs what I might need moving forward. I prayerfully sit with God and we examine the hard stuff – the moments where there was a need for forgiveness and reconciliation, the disappointments and let downs. In the process, the things that were struggles and pain points become teachers as I seek to work through such things in a different, perhaps more positive way, as they arise in the future.

I sit with God and rejoice for what was fun, and exciting, for the things that made me smile and that I’m proud of. I spend time in gratitude for what was, good and bad, stressful or beautiful. It’s all a part of life and learning.

The things that brought joy, hope, growth become things I want to build in as necessary life-giving refreshers – oases in a busy schedule. The things that sapped energy and caused stress are noted as things that could be dropped or, at the very least, spread out in the schedule or paired with life-giving things to make them easier to negotiate.

At this point, I feel like we need a disclaimer. This is an art, not a science. It will not be perfect or solve all problems. Or make everything smooth or easy. What this process does is give food for thought and, hopefully, a flexible framework as we enter another year. Whereas resolutions come with hard and fast goals and action items, I’ve found this process helps me reflect on what is important for me, what my hopes are, and how I want to live with authenticity and integrity each day. It honors my strengths, gifts, joys, and passions, but also brings awareness and gentleness to the things that are a struggle for me. It’s aspirational and challenging, but leaves space for there to be changes and tweaks made along the way. Overall, I find it a grace-filled process.

Some years I work through this in a couple of hours, but most often it’s more helpful to spread it out over a few days, giving space for unhurried consideration and contemplation – for thoughts and connections to arise (and surprise!) when I’m not intentionally concentrating on this work.

In order to have a touchstone to return to throughout the year that keeps what I’ve discerned before me, I have adopted the practice of selecting a Word for the Year to guide me. This word (or short phrase!) captures what might be helpful or supportive as I tackle the year: who I hope to be and what I intend to accomplish. It can be a word that is encouraging or inspiring, or a word that offers peace, comfort, or rest. It can speak to a longed-for outcome or healing. It is only limited by our imagination.

I’ve used a lot of words over the past years, all depending on what seemed to speak to my life and circumstances as I did my reflection:

2018: Surrender
2019: Balance/Harmony
2020: Pilgrimage
2021: Create!
2022: Radiant Joy
2023: Attend
2024: Light

To remind me of these words, I’ve made digital collages, created Spotify playlists that reminded me of the theme, and even had the words engraved on Enso rings (wait for a sale!) to wear so I could see them every day. You can jot them down on sticky notes and place them on your bathroom mirror, office desk, or even your refrigerator. The name of the game is to figure out what works for you at this particular point in your life.

For me, it’s been a really helpful and flexible spiritual practice. And I am by no means the only one who uses such practices around the beginning of the new year. I am deeply indebted to and have been assisted in this process by the amazing work (religious and secular) others have imagined, labored over, and curated:

• “Give Me A Word 2025” from Benedictine oblate Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts – this was probably the first place that I heard of the practice of selecting a word to guide your year and she has some wonderful resources, prayer cycles, and retreats to check out
• Yearly Examen – Sacred Ordinary Days has a list of resources to help you engage in looking back and looking ahead. I used their planners for a couple years and really appreciated the prayer practices they incorporated throughout the year
• “Examen Prayer for the Year” – a simple outline of a yearly prayer practice based on the Ignatian practice of the Daily Examen (a prayerful way of reviewing each day with gratitude, noticing where you felt God’s presence and where God felt distant)
• “Unravel Your Year” and “Find Your Word” by Susannah Conway – these are really nicely outlined (and thorough!) workbooks for both sifting through the past year and finding a word for the coming year
• “One Word Guide” from Margaret Feinberg is a faith-based guide for praying through and selecting a word for the coming year. This is a great introduction to this practice to get you started

I hope this post invites you to consider your own end of year/beginning of a new year practices and how they might serve, support, and encourage you throughout the coming year. Mostly, have fun with it and be gentle on yourself – both as you look back and as you move forward.

Next week, I’ll be talking about two more of my favorite start-of-year Epiphany spiritual practices. If that sounds appealing and helpful, sign up below to make sure you get the email when I post!

© Annabelle P. Markey